Do you ever wonder when the time is right to pull the trigger and purchase that thing you’ve been eyeing on Marketplace, or if it’s better to wait, keep looking, and save for just the right thing? When is it wise to spend on a placeholder versus holding out for the “right” thing? How do you know you’ll really enjoy and use it? Will it work with your style?
Hopefully, today’s post will help you with these questions in your home.
What is a placeholder? A placeholder is just that: it holds the place for something better, more functional, more attractive. Sometimes placeholders are obvious to us… and others! An obvious placeholder in our home was the hideous over-baked potato couch we had for over ten years. We replaced it this year with a lovely rolled-arm English sofa from Marketplace for $85. This “new-to-us” sofa was worth the wait and I would willingly have paid more for it! Placeholders help you develop your style while not sinking your home decor money into large purchases you may be unsure of. They are also great for allowing you to try out a lifestyle idea.
“I needed to decide where to focus on a limited budget, which meant I needed to prioritize what to tackle first and where to use temporary pieces.” Myquillyn Smith from her book Welcome Home.
Placeholders are also great for meeting daily practical needs – bed, table, lamp. Sometimes you have to buy, or are given, these items simply because you need them to get started and you know that you will upgrade them later on. This was the case with the study table and chairs we were kindly given when we bought this house. It was a nice oak table with two leaves to extend it ~ and we often did! However, as my style developed and we remodeled the dining room we decided a smaller table and lower profile antique chairs would suit the size and style of our dining room much better.
What is a “holdout?” You might say the holdout is the second cousin to the placeholder. Placeholders are a bit shorter term and inexpensive – they get you by in a pinch. Holdouts are placeholders that you know will be expensive or a style statement to replace, like beds, sofas, or any large statementy purchases. These are pieces that you wait to purchase until you are more sure of your style and you’re willing to invest in timeless, “real” pieces made of wood, brass, wool for rugs, alabaster, etc.
A holdout for us was the black electric stove. The black stove came with the house when we bought it and wouldn’t have been our choice, but several years later when we were remodeling our kitchen and I’d discovered the fabulous world of FB Marketplace I realized I could sell the black stove and upgrade to a white gas stove for a reasonable exchange. Even though we came out $5 ahead it was worth putting up with the black electric stove for a good while before upgrading to the white gas stove we wanted. If we’d replaced the stove years earlier we wouldn’t have known we would remodel the kitchen and would likely have chosen a black gas stove. It was worth the wait!
The alabaster lamp on the left was almost the style I wanted. But it came home with me because it was decently priced and would allow me to experiment with this new-to-me style before purchasing a permanent alabaster lamp. As you readers know, I’ve been working on a master bedroom makeover and a pair of alabaster lamps for either side of the bed has been on the list for quite a while. Time and patient hunting produced the center and right hand lamps in the picture above and the original lamp was posted on Marketplace (a friend bought it before it sold).
These lovely French Napoleon III chairs are something like what I’d like to add to the guest bedroom. I’m taking my time to mull them over from many angles ~ this is part of my design style evolution. While this part of my style is gestating I’m happy to have a blank spot in the meantime.
This illustrates the other definition of the “holdout.” You know exactly what you want, and you don’t mind waiting for the perfect piece without having a placeholder. By this time you’ve adopted the “abundance” mindset and realize you don’t have to get the almost-perfect antique because there will never be another such chance. You understand that an “almost-the-right-thing” piece can come with regret and tie up your budget. There certainly will be more lovely pieces available! I hope these thoughts have been helpful as you are curating your home! Until next time,
Take Care,
Rachel
